In addition, a beta website for iCloud surfaced, along with indications that iOS 6 will include support for Web-based versions of Notes and Reminders, which are current apps in iOS 6. And it’s possible that developers will finally be able to plug into Siri, the iPhone 4S’s digital assistant, with a new set of APIs. (I just hope Siri will finally get an update that will make it work more reliably.)

Of course, a new version of iOS also means new hardware on which it will run, most notably on the next version of the iPhone, expected to be released between midsummer and late fall. (That depends on whether the iPhone 4S’s October 2011 launch was the result of a delay or a conscious decision to push back the handset’s refresh cycle.) While a new iPhone always creates buzz, it could be argued that a new version of iOS is actually a bigger deal, as it potentially affects more people. If you’ve got an existing iPhone capable of installing it, a new iOS release means new features coming to lots of older hardware.

The rumored iOS 6 features are tasty, but there’s a lot more could do. Here are six things I’d like to see in iOS 6:

• Home screen widgets – The more I review Android devices, the more I envy the ability to use widgets on the Google operating system’s home screens. Right now, the only you get on iOS’s home screens are apps and folders. It’s time to make iOS’s home screens more productive.

I understand, though, why Apple has been resistant to this. Almost every Android phone I’ve seen in which users have added their favorite widgets has a chaotic, unruly look to it. But I suspect Apple could find a way to make the layout of homescreen widgets more elegant. I wouldn’t even mind a dedicated widget homescreen, similar to the dedicated search screen added in iOS 4.

• Greater developer access to hardware – I want developers to have greater access to iOS hardware, which is something of a corollary to my widget request. Specifically, Apple currently doesn’t allow apps to turn off hardware features – that must be done through the OS. That’s why there are no apps that make it fast and easy to turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS to save battery life.

Android phones have a “power bar” widget that provides toggles for power-sucking features, and I’d early love to have one for iOS. Right now, for example, turning off Bluetooth involves going to Settings > General > Bluetooth, then toggling off the Bluetooth switch. That’s four taps on iOS for something that requires only one on Android.

• Interface customization – Apple severely limits what kinds of customization an iOS user can do, while Android’s far more amenable to changing major components. For example, you can’t swap out keyboards on iOS, but there are a wealth of interesting and useful keyboards for Android. Swype, which lets you type words by dragging your finger from letter to letter, is the best example.

While Apple’s to be lauded for its consistent interface, making these kinds of changes should be left to the user, who can deal with unique changes on his or her own device.

• FaceTime over LTE – FaceTime currently only works on Wi-Fi, even on the new iPad, which supports much faster LTE cellular broadband networks. I can understand technical limitations for not allowing FaceTime over 3G, given how spotty that technology can be. But it should be allowed over LTE, particularly if the next iPhone supports it.

Of course, FaceTime over LTE could be a serious data hog, and could push users past their data caps. But still, it should be user’s choice.

On iOS Twitter is primarily an upload-only feature – you can post content, but you need a client to read it. Facebook could be the same way, allowing you to upload photos, status updates and location check-ins, without necessarily showing you everyone else’s content. Windows Phone does the latter, and it can be overwhelming at times.

• Attach to email – Right now, sending a photo via email must be done from the Photos app. You can’t start from email and then add an attachment. That’s an annoying and unnecessary limitation.

27 Responses

iam really satisfied. And agree. With u..i love apple..but there is not a same feature s like android..i have android mobile to and ipad2 i want home screen ..launcher..and widget..in.ios.6..and i hope we will get it..

I would like to see a revamp of the rather underwhelming Game Center. At this point, my gaming habits have migrated almost exclusively to iOS devices but I’ve always felt that Game Center is a little weak when compared to services like Microsoft’s XBox Live.

I have used iPhones for the past 4 years and Android for the past 2. It’s difficult to say one platform is absolutely better than the other.

With that said, from your list, only FaceTime over LTE and attach to e-mail are features that aren’t from another platform. I’m not saying Android or Windows has nothing that Apple can learn from, but knowing Apple, they would (and should) focus on how to do something that will make other people’s features look just silly instead of just straight out copy them.

I’m not listing these because Android has them, but rather I think they’d be most useful for the user. Both platforms often adopt features developed on the other. If a feature makes my life easier, I want it – I don’t much care where it originated.

And many of these are longstanding complaints about iOS. For example, I’ve complained about the inability to quickly turn off radios from the original launch of iOS, which predates the release of Android phones.

Thorough integration with Siri. You wouldn’t need greater developer access to hardware if Apple would just make Siri take actions on your phone and not just act on the data on your phone. I would love to be able to press a button and say, “Turn off Bluetooth” or “Turn on Airplane mode” or “Mute all” and have it do that. Right now, I’m all for the lawsuits against Apple over Siri because Apple is marketing Siri as a feature but when you buy the phone they say it is beta. Plus it sucks. Make Siri work. Do that, and you will go along way to solving a whole host of problems with iOS.

Put video Airplay on bluetooth. This one, I don’t know enough about the technical side of bluetooth data rates to even know if this is practical. But airplay would be much cooler if the AppleTV had blue tooth and I could play a Keynote presentation by bluetooth. Sometimes I am at hotels or business center conference rooms making presentations and the wifi is spotty or I am not given the access code. I have to carry my own personal Airport Express to make sure I have a network to do presentations. I can play music on my car’s bluetooth connection, I would love to be able to play video with bluetooth.

I’d like to see the new maps application have the ability to download selected tiles so you could use the maps app offline. For example, you might want to download the map tiles for several provinces in Italy so you can use the Maps app there without being connected and using up a lot of a data plan, or on a wifi only iOS device. Those map tiles could take up a lot of storage space so it should be easy to delete those you no longer need available offline.

Another improvement I’d like would be for Apple to acquire 1Password and build that password management capability into iOS.

I went to a non-Honda car dealership once and was telling the salesman how much I enjoyed the various features of the Hondas. After listening to me carry on for half an hour he looks at me and says in an annoyed tone, “Why don’t you go buy one then?”.

It just seems that with all the features you’d like to see in the new iOS update you’d be better off just getting a phone that already does it. LoL

Having owned both the original 2G iPhone and the HTC Evo I’d definitely say the iPhone was the better of the two. Especially where comfort in handling the device was concerned. I always felt like I was holding a mini iPad up to my ear with the Evo. =/

I would like to see Siri on the iPad (which worked even on the iPad first gen before Apple bought it and disabled it) and FaceTome over LTE – actually, I can’t see any reason to artificially limit anything to WiFi. I’m not convinced about widgets, there is a dedicated widget screen in OS X – the Dashboard – and nobody uses it, it may be unnecessary complication.

And here I was thinking I was too damn stupid to come up with a way to attach a photo or two or three to an email when all along it’s Apple that’s been mucking up the works. Sheesh. They finally got with the copy/paste program by, what, IOS 2 and they haven’t mustered the troops to assault this anthill? If Android can climb the Matterhorn on pogo sticks and attach pics of the summit in an email you’d think Apple could have this fixed by noon.

There is a workaround to not being able to initiate an attachment from email. You can go to the Photos gap, press-and-hold to do a Copy, then go back to your email and press-and-hold to paste. Clunky, but it works.

You can attach to an existing email. But does require you to go into photo app. Just click the top right ‘arrow’ and select the photos you want, then hit copy. Then you can paste them into an email reply. Still would be nice to have native access via mail app.

I’m afraid you’re asking the Leopard to change its spots. I don’t think many of these suggestions will make it simply because it starts to make the experience more difficult and less uniform (more Androidy, if that’s a word). I also don’t expect attaching to email anytime soon. There really isn’t any file system in iOS that would provide the files to attach. Other than photos in the Camera Roll, what would you like to attach, and where would it come from?

Certainly allowing Facetime over LTE makes sense, but it should also be allowed over 3G as well. Facetime uses somewhere between 100Kbps and 400Kpbs, which is doable even over substandard 3G connections.

I’d like to attach Word or PDF documents, presentations, etc., and not have to start the process out of the associated apps. A Documents app, similar to the Photos app, could hold them without exposing the file system.

How about full bluetooth file transfer support already? Seriously..
FM Radio. Yes. The hardware can do it. Come on!!!
Open up the OS so there is no more need for Jailbreaking. Seriously. Hello!
Comp OS is not blocked so why is the iOS one? Screw you, Apple!
No. We are not stupid sheep that will tamper and ruin system files. We use our comps daily just fine, thanks!
There will come a day, when people will get sick of paying for apps, to get certain functionality on the phone, that should have been there in the first place..
Lots to do, Apple. Get cracking! iOS 6 better not be another anticlimax!

To be honest iOS 5 pretty much did a home run and iOS 6 just needs to bring the final point to the game. I think Bluetooth support outside of only iOS is much needed. It takes away from having ti use the carrier data to send something, or downloading an app even though you have a similar one already because you can’t use two different apps to send via Bluetooth, I think any app registering as Bluetooth support should. E allowed to sync over with one another like mover and another app. Or just allow Bluetooth support. Enable different built in keyboards, FaceTime over 4g so I can stop jail breaking. Fix up game enter, email photo from email app, voice guidance via Siri. Cooler multitask simulation, I don’t care for the radio toggles because iOS handles them just fine, profiles for sound and radio as that would only be an improvement,

Location aware App discovery and/or smart Launch page awareness. …Shopping apps appear on smart launch page or are recommended when I am in a grocery store – or navigation Apps appear or are recommended when traveling over set speed.

Ambient light impacted OS preferences. Background morphs to white on dark theme when in high light condition – not just gets brighter. … resulting in better readability and battery life.